Royal Melbourne to host 2011 Presidents Cup
BY iseekgolf.com | US PGA Tour | 2011 The Presidents Cup | 28 Sep 2007
PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem has announced that another “Royal” venue – Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia – has been named host site of the event in 2011.
Royal Melbourne Golf Club becomes the first golf course outside of the United States to host the prestigious match-play competition more than once, as the 1998 event was also held there. In April, the PGA TOUR announced that the ninth staging of The Presidents Cup, which is slated for Nov. 14-20, 2011, would be held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, but a host course was not named until today.
“I’d like to congratulate and thank Peter Sutherland and the leadership and membership of Royal Melbourne Golf Club on the return of The Presidents Cup in 2011,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem. “As we saw in 1998, Australia has some of the best golf fans and best courses in the world. The selection of Royal Melbourne as the site of the next international Presidents Cup is affirmation of what the golf club has meant to the history of The Cup.”
The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, which has existed continuously since 1891, is one of the most highly regarded golf clubs in Australia.
“Royal Melbourne is both pleased and excited to have been awarded the 2011 Presidents Cup,” said Peter Sutherland, captain, Royal Melbourne Golf Club. “Having hosted the event in 1998, we believe it will once again be an outstanding venue for what has now become a much bigger and internationally recognized competition. We are proud that Australia has a number of golf clubs which would well have staged The Presidents Cup, and look forward to welcoming the players, their families, guests of the TOUR and fans in 2011.”
“We are obviously delighted that The Presidents Cup will be returning to Australia in 2011 and certain that Royal Melbourne will once again be an outstanding venue for the world’s best players ” said Ben Sellenger, Chief Executive Officer, PGA TOUR of Australasia. “The excitement and anticipation for this event will build exponentially over the next four years, and the PGA TOUR of Australasia looks forward to supporting the return of The Presidents Cup in 2011.”
“I’m thrilled to see The Presidents Cup return to Melbourne, which is my hometown,” said Peter Thomson, who captained the International Presidents Cup Team in 1996, 1998 and 2000. “The 1998 event was so successful, and The Presidents Cup has only grown in stature and importance since then. I have no doubt that it will be another fantastic competition.”
The Presidents Cup, a team match play competition featuring 24 of the world’s top golfers – 12 from the United States and 12 from around the world, excluding Europe – is held every two years and since 1996 has alternated between United States and international venues. The Presidents Cup was developed to give the world’s best non-European players an opportunity to compete in international team match-play competition. The U.S. Team has won four of the six previous Presidents Cups, and the only outright win by the International Team came at the 1998 event in Melbourne. The 2003 Presidents Cup ended in a tie.
The 2007 Presidents Cup begins today at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which marks the third time it has been contested outside the United States. In addition to the 1998 Presidents Cup in Melbourne, the 2003 event was held at the Gary Player-designed Links Course on the Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate in George, South Africa.
As previously announced, the 2009 Presidents Cup will be held at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco.
